Emergence

Chapter 10

"Kate, from your expression, something happened while I was throwing water on my face," Castle said as he returned to Kate's desk from the Men's Room at the precinct.

"Yeah, I just heard from the lieutenant at the Fifty-fourth. They just identified the victim in a mugging case they're working on. It was Manny Solis."

"Our Manny from the truck?"

Kate nodded. "Someone killed him to get him out of the way, so we could be taken out."

Castle scrubbed his hands over his still damp cheeks. "This gets worse by the minute. Any more on the identity of our murderous macaroni merchant?"

"Not yet. My sketch is out there, and CSU is still working on the wreckage of the truck. He was wearing food service gloves, so there are no prints on the tray or the food containers we had, except for ours. Maybe we'll get lucky, and he didn't wear them when he was setting the bomb. That's...," Kate's cell phone whooshed with the sound of a bubbling flask. "That's CSU now." Kate thumbed the speaker icon.

"Detective Beckett, this is Max Goldblum, from the lab. We just ID'd a print from the debris of the food truck. His face matches your sketch. His name is Joseph Skyler Logan. That's Skyler with a "k." If there was a detonator, it was destroyed in the blast, but we found explosive residue. It was an ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixture. The components would be easy to get anywhere, but the fuel had a colorant, which may help us track it down. I'll let you know as soon as we have anything else."

"Great Max, thanks," Beckett replied before ending the call.

Castle was already starting a search for Joseph Skyler Logan. "Oh Kate, you're going to love this. There's actually an article on this guy on Bracken's website, as an example of Bracken's humanitarian efforts. 'Joey Logan was a kid from the roughest neighborhood in Washington Heights,'" Castle read out loud.

"That's Vulcan Simmons' territory and where my mother was killed," Kate interjected.

"Right," Castle agreed, "but there's more. 'Joey Logan was on his way to serving a stint in Juvenile Hall, but he caught the eye of then District Attorney, William Bracken, who saw something promising in the boy. Bracken became a mentor, making sure Joey stayed in school, then when Joey was ready, he became part of Bracken's team, first as a gofer, then gradually working himself up the ladder. Now he's proudly serving as Bracken's executive assistant.'"

Kate wrapped her arms around Castle's neck, with her first unfettered smile in days. "I would love to see Bracken's proud executive assistant explain what he was doing serving macaroni and cheese in a dead man's exploding food truck."

"You didn't even read me my rights. I want to call my lawyer," Joey Logan protested, as L.T. and officer Harrison led him into interrogation, in handcuffs. His eyes bulged at the sight of Kate Beckett and Richard Castle, already seated at the metal table.

"Surprised, 'George?'" Castle inquired.

"I want a lawyer," Logan repeated.

"Well you see, Joey," Kate explained, "you set off a bomb in a truck right next to a police precinct. That can be classed as an act of domestic terrorism. Terrorists have done a lot less. Under the Patriot Act, you don't get a lawyer; you don't get anything."

"Not that it would help you if you did," Castle added. You have a well-respected, famous in fact, homicide detective as a witness that you were in that truck, and conveniently had to go potty before it blew. There's also forensic evidence linking you to the crime. You're as cooked as your macaroni and cheese cups, which were overdone, by the way."

"Unless, of course, you have something to help us put the D.A. and maybe Homeland Security in a mood to deal," Kate put in.

"Homeland Security folks are actually pretty good friends of ours, these days," Castle inserted.

Joey looked from Castle to Kate. He really did need a men's room, now. "What do you want?"

"Not what, who," Kate informed him. "We want Manny Solis' killer, but who we really want is your boss."

William Bracken relished his time at the podium which had been set up on the steps of the courthouse. He loved looking down at the sea of eager and sometimes adoring faces. He loved watching the press hanging on his every word. He even liked the wind ruffling his hair just enough to give the impression that he was just a common man, one who understood the problems of his constituents and was eager to come to their aid. The one thing he didn't like, was the absence of Joey Logan. But he could ream his assistant out for his absence, later. He scrolled through the speech on the iPad in front of him. "You all know how passionate I am about the environment, clean air, clean water, but there is another part of the environment that I would like to zero in on today. We are all grief stricken over the explosion that took two lives at the Twelfth Precinct. I would add to that another life, senselessly taken in the streets of this city, for the few dollars obtained from an ATM. A safe environment means being able to live, work, and play, without fear. I will be sponsoring a new anti-crime initiative, to address not only the safety of every citizen of this country today but the citizens, our children will be tomorrow. And today I am announcing the formation of an exploratory committee for a run for the presidency of these United States. I hope that you will all support me in building a better country for all of us."

Kate strode up the steps, followed by Ryan and Esposito. "We could start by having a country where killers like you are behind bars, Senator Bracken."

Bracken stared at her. " Kate Beckett! You can't be here. You're dead!"

"Interesting that you should think so, Senator, considering that the names of the victims of the truck explosion were never released. You can consider me a ghost, the ghost of all of your sins." Kate pulled out her handcuffs, "Senator William H. Bracken, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit the murders of John Raglan, Gary McCallister, Manfred Solis, and my mother, Johanna Beckett."

Bracken stood in shock while Kate slapped cuffs on him. Ryan and Esposito led Bracken to a waiting car. All the reporters followed, leaving Kate to walk unobserved into the arms of Castle, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "You did it," Rick said. "You got him. Your mother can rest in peace."

"We got him, and it's not just about my mother, Castle," Kate said, staring up into Rick's eyes, "Logan didn't just flip on Bracken, he flipped on Mallory, so Brian Solis can have some closure. And the DEA is closing in on Vulcan Simmons' drug operation as we speak. The force is using Logan's information to hunt down Lockwood too. Bracken will get his wish for a safer city, even if he didn't mean it."

"So, what do you want to do now, Kate?" Castle asked. "Ryan and Esposito will be handling the booking. I have a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting at the loft. We could go open it."

Kate's fingertips lightly brushed his cheek. "I want to go to the loft, but I don't need any champagne."